1. Field
The present invention relates to a card edge connector, and more particularly to a card edge connector with improved locking arms for preventing an inserted card from being pressed downwardly when the inserted card is not so inserted to a predetermined position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Chinese Patent Publication No. CN 102347536A published on Feb. 8, 2012 discloses a card edge connector for being soldered to a mother PCB for insertion of a daughter PCB so as to establish electrical connection therebetween. The daughter PCB includes a pair of side edges each of which defines a cutout for being locked by the card edge connector. The card edge connector includes an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts retained in the insulative housing and a pair of locking arms attached to lateral sides of the insulative housing for holding the daughter PCB. The insulative housing defines a central card-receiving slot. Each locking arm includes a first arm and a second arm mating with the first arm. The second arm includes a retaining portion fixed to the insulative housing, a connecting arm extending forwardly from the retaining portion and a restricting portion at a front of the connecting arm. The restricting portion includes a locking portion inwardly bent from a front side thereof for locking with the cutout of the daughter PCB, an engaging portion pressing against the daughter PCB when it is installed in position, and a handle for being outwardly operated by finger. Both the engaging portion and the handle extend inwardly from a top edge of the connecting arm. The engaging portion includes a slant surface for guiding installation of the daughter PCB and a pressing surface for pressing against the daughter PCB when it is installed in position. The handle is of an arc configuration and extends downwardly and slantwise from the connecting arm. The handle is separated a distance from the engaging portion along a front-to-back direction and a bottom surface of the handle is higher than the pressing surface.
When the daughter PCB is inserted into the card edge connector, firstly, the daughter PCB is inserted into the card-receiving slot along a downward slope direction, and secondly, the daughter PCB is downwardly pressed. Lateral sides of the daughter PCB is downwardly moveable along the slant surfaces of the engaging portions, and simultaneously the locking arms move outwardly with the handles corresponding to the cutouts of the daughter PCB. When the daughter PCB is installed in position, the cutouts successfully pass the handles so that the daughter PCB can be pressed by the engaging portions. However, because of the slant arc configurations of the handles, even if the daughter PCB is not inserted to the predetermined position along the card insertion direction, once the daughter PCB is downwardly pressed, it can also move downwardly. Under this condition, the lateral sides of the daughter PCB can also engage the slant surfaces of the engaging portions, and simultaneously drive the locking arms moving outwardly. It is understandable that if the daughter PCB is not suitably inserted along the card insertion direction and the daughter PCB can also be pressed to lock with the locking arms, electrical connection between the contacts of the card edge connector and the daughter PCB will be unstable or even out of work.
Besides, since there is no upward limitation of the connecting arm and the restricting portion along a height direction of the card edge connector, when the daughter PCB is incorrectly uplifted from the card-receiving slot, the restricting portion together with the connecting arm might be torsionally deformed by the daughter PCB. As a result, electrical connection between the card edge connector and the daughter PCB will be influenced.
Hence, a card edge connector with foolproof and reliable locking arms is desired.